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Salle de presse
Quilt of Belonging Shows Diversity of Canada Northumberland quilters produced five of 263 quilt blocks A nation-wide project that celebrates diversity of culture has contributions from Northumberland residents. 'Invitation: The Quilt of Belonging' was started in 1998 by artist Esther Bryan, who wanted to create a work that expressed the vast mosaic which makes up the cultural fabric of Canada. Born in France to missionary parents, Ms. Bryan lived among many different cultures in her childhood, and then travelled with her father to Slovakia in 1995 on his quest to find the family he had left 43 years earlier. Inviting different ethnic groups to share their experiences, stories and values, through the creation of quilt blocks that reflect their rich diversity, Ms. Bryan began the Quilt as a community art project in a small office in Williamstown, Ontario, and watched it spread across Canada. Five of the 263 blocks have been created in Northumberland. For Guatemala, Catarina Tzep Sac, through Horizons of Friendship, has illustrated the importance of the country's textile industry, particularly weaving, which has aspects of both community and spirituality, and an important source of income. Ms. Tzep Sac chose to create a worry-doll in her block, a Quetzal bird, which is the national symbol of freedom. According to Guatemalan tradition, problems told to worry-dolls that are put under one's pillow will disappear by morning. For Haiti, Port Hope resident Kettly Hamilton drew on Creole culture reminiscent of the Caribbean island where she grew up. Her block contains images of everyday life and women's work - a burdened donkey on the way to a market, a woman with goods to sell carried on her head. Ms. Hamilton worked on a double background - a family doily, and blue chambray, a very common fabric and colour used in everyday clothing in Haiti. She learned embroidery at the age of 10 from her mother, and still feels a strong emotional bond with needlework, her culture and spiritual connection with her mother. The block for Nicaragua was created by three people - Happy Howels Mireault, Anneli Tolvanen and Cesar Gaitan - who all have personal experience with the region, the poorest in Central America. What is expressed by these three is the pride the Nicaraguans have in their country, shown by depicting a 300-year-old piece of traditional theatre and dance. El Gueguense symbolized the strong spirit of the people against the Spanish conquistador, as well as present day conflicts. Ms. Howels Mireault also stitched the Panama block with ideas from former Panamanian Linda Gomez Robertson, Spanish teacher at the Northumberland YMCA. Incorporating both Spanish and aboriginal elements, the reverse applique technique is a signature craft of the Kuna tribe, a matriarchal society and one of seven indigenous groups. Joyce Ford grew up safely and happily in Suriname, where her father was a sugar plantation manager. Her block depicts a different time, when slavery was common in the Dutch plantations. On her block, a doll wears a heavy costume stuffed with straw. Called a koto, this common dress hid a woman's figure, either designed by the plantation owners' wives to prevent their husbands from being attracted to the slaves, or by the slaves themselves, to discourage unwanted attention. The koto was traditionally worn with a head scarf that sent different messages to other slaves, depending on how it was tied. An illustrated history of 'The Invitation' project is available as of April 1 and features one colourfully illustrated page for each of the 296 (sic 263) blocks and a story about the artist and his or her cultural background.
The quilt itself was unveiled the same day in Ottawa.
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